What started as a group of like-minded friends gathering around a fire, smoking meat, sharing food and enjoying a few beers has grown into Vasaqa Fiji – Home of Nadi’s Smoked Meats, a thriving restaurant and catering business celebrating its fourth year with the launch of a new menu ahead of the festive season.
The story of Vasaqa is, in many ways, an unlikely one. The three friends behind the business came from different backgrounds, what they shared was a passion for food, an appetite for trying something different and a belief that they could create a dining experience that was uniquely their own.
What began as casual Sunday gatherings around a smoker eventually turned into a business idea — and then a small hole-in-the-wall takeaway in Namaka.
“None of us set out thinking we were going to build a restaurant business. We were just friends who loved food, loved cooking and loved getting together around a fire,” said Benjamin Hussain, General Manager of Vasaqa Fiji.
“What started as something we did for fun slowly became something people wanted to experience. That was the moment we realised there could be something bigger here.”
From its humble beginnings in Namaka, Vasaqa steadily grew from a takeaway operation into an off-site catering business before establishing its flagship smokehouse in Wailoaloa, Nadi. Today, the restaurant welcomes locals and tourists to experience its signature slow-cooked and smoked meats inspired by the island flavors, inventive dishes and laid-back island hospitality.
According to Hussain, the journey has been about learning, adapting and staying true to what brought the friends together in the first place.
“With previous experience working on catering movie productions and years of trial and error working in service and food industry, we had a good idea of what we wanted Vasaqa to feel like- good food, big flavour, a relaxed environment and a place where people could come together,” he said.
Four years on, that original idea continues to shape the business.
To celebrate the milestone, Vasaqa has launched a new menu bringing together its signature smokehouse techniques with Fijian ingredients and global flavour influences.
The new menu features favourites and new creations including Sticky Mango Pork Ribs, 12-Hour Smoked Brisket, Pineapple Coffee Beef Short Ribs, Beer Can Chicken, Slow Braised Lamb and Smoked Pork & Krackling.
“The new menu is really about where Vasaqa is today. We’ve learnt a lot over the last four years, but we’re still the same people who started around that fire. We still want to experiment, we still want to surprise people and we still want the food to be the reason people come back,” Hussain said.
The menu reflects Vasaqa’s approach to food — taking familiar flavours and ingredients and giving them a smokehouse twist.
“We don’t want to be boxed into one style of food. Fiji has such an amazing mix of cultures and flavours, and we love taking inspiration from that and from places we’ve travelled, eaten and cooked. The fun is putting those ideas together and making them our own,” Hussain added.
But the celebration doesn’t stop at the new menu.
With the festive season fast approaching, Vasaqa Fiji is also preparing for Christmas parties, corporate functions, birthdays, weddings, private celebrations and end-of-year gatherings, offering flexible indoor and outdoor spaces for groups of different sizes.
The restaurant can accommodate up to 150 guests across four indoor and outdoor spaces, providing a setting for guests to eat, drink, celebrate and enjoy the unmistakable Vasaqa atmosphere.
For those wanting to take the Vasaqa experience beyond the restaurant, the business also offers off-site catering, bringing its signature smoked meats, menus and dining experience directly to private events and venues.
For Christmas events, Vasaqa offers festive dining packages featuring favourite smokehouse and slow-roasted specialties alongside an exclusive seasonal menu, bringing together the bold flavours, rich aromas and fire-kissed favourites the smokehouse is known for.
“For us, food has always been about bringing people together. Whether it’s a table of 10 at the restaurant, a Christmas party or a wedding somewhere completely different, we want people to feel like they’re having a proper Vasaqa feast,” said Hussain.
From three friends experimenting around a smoker to a growing restaurant and catering brand, Vasaqa’s four-year journey is a story of passion turning into possibility.
“Four years in, we’re proud of how far we’ve come, but we’re definitely not finished. There’s still a lot we want to cook, a lot we want to try and a lot more people we want to feed,” Hussain said.
Whether it’s a work Christmas party, a family celebration or a big end-of-year gathering, Vasaqa is inviting guests to skip the ordinary and make it a proper feast.
For festive season events, private functions and catering enquiries, contact bookings@vasaqa.com or +679 7977 884.
Learn more at vasaqa.com and follow @vasaqafiji on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Vasaqa Fiji- Smoke. Feast. Celebrate.
www.vasaqa.com
bookings@vasaqa.com
+679 7977 884
With the festive season fast approaching, Vasaqa Fiji is also preparing for Christmas parties.
n Right: Members of the media with the management of Vasaqa Fiji during the unveiling of the new menu at Wailoaloa in Nadi on Wednesday, September 23.
Picture: VASAQA FIJI
Beer Can Chicken.
